msw2112

I don't put much stock into these rankings, as they really don't mean anything. That said, these are all fair. Given that the rankings are subjective, the Bills should be anywhere from #1-#3, and the Packers and KC should be the other two in the top 3. That is the case with each of these. The Packers make a case for being ahead of the Bills by their thrashing of a good Tennessee team who manhandled the Bills earlier in the season. The Bills might get an opportunity to avenge that loss very soon and I believe they will. This Bills team, particularly on defense, is playing much better than the one that faced the Titans last time, plus the game was on the road with a bunch of COVID-related scheduling oddities. The next time should be a "regularly-scheduled" playoff game in the Bills stadium.

This. They had an open roster spot, so they gave Webb some recognition for being a great teammate and PS member. Also, if Allen is out due to the game being in the bag, they may prefer to go with Webb to "protect" Barkley. You play Allen until the game is decided. Then you protect him from injury. You may also want to protect Barkley from injury. I see nothing out there to say that Barkley isn't still the #2. He lacks arm strength, but has experience and knows how to run an NFL offense. He has even played OK when he's gotten the starters reps in practice.

Reasons why Haskins wasn't traded (a summary of what is above): the trade deadline has passed nobody wants him and nobody is willing to give up an asset (ANY asset) for him the team wants to send a message to him and to everyone else - they are trying to build a culture, and hanging on to a problem child in hopes of maybe scoring a late-round draft pick after the season is not even close to worth it

Jamesis Winston tried this strategy and failed. Stole a few steaks from the local Publix, raped a woman, etc. and still went 1st overall.

A lottery might make sense for the NFL. Perhaps the bottom 3 teams would have their draft order determined by a lottery. Teams might tank a little bit to get into the bottom 3, but they would be less likely to do so if their odds of getting the top pick were 1 in 3 or less (less if they weighted the odds more for the worse records like the NHL does). The NHL lottery has too many teams. I think the NBA's (with which I'm not that familiar) works a little better?

C'mon man! As a Bills fan, Diggs, then Beasley, then Brown, then Davis, then TD Jesus. As an unbiased voter, probably Adams, Hill, Diggs.

A few comments: Jacksonville is not in the NFC. I love Daboll, but not every great coordinator makes a great head coach. I don't know enough about Daboll to predict how he'll do as a HC. He'll get his shot if he wants it. The Bills should be fine of Daboll moves on. Allen is at the point where he can make just about anything work - run, pass, man, zone, etc. One thing that might be missed is some of the timely playcalls from Daboll this year, such as the WR screen to Brown (I forget which game that was, but it was the perfect call at the perfect time) and some of the razzle-dazzle plays, most of which have worked to perfection.

Are you sure this isn't a post about former coach Gregggg Williams?

Both Feliciano and Morse have had to come out of games recently due to injury and Spain is long gone from the roster, so perhaps they wanted another depth interior lineman available. I say this after reading the post about Harrison's history (noting that he started 10 games at center last year).

Did they have an available roster spot? Obviously, they either did, or they created one.

I agree with Mahomes #1, Rodgers #2, and Allen #3 at this point in time and I agree that the Hail Murray has hurt Allen's chances, as he was "denied" another "signature comeback win" and the Bills record is one game worse than it would have been. I also know that just a few weeks ago, Russell Wilson was #1 in the MVP race and that has clearly changed, so there's plenty of time for things to shake out. If the Bills win out and Allen plays well, and the Chiefs and/or Packers falter a little bit, Allen could sneak in there. Regardless of how it plays out, I think it's great that our QB is being viewed among the league's best players. I should add that I am more concerned with how the Bills do as a team than with how any individual player fares in relation to a subjective award.

Chad Pennington I agree that Pennington is one of these "type" of guys, but left him off the list of names because he was mostly a starter throughout his career. Good player, but a very weak arm. If he had a stronger arm, he could have been really good.

Yes, but...I believe EJ Manuel, JP Losman and Trent Edwards were all coachable. Despite different personalities, all three (I believe) were hard-working kids that wanted to improve. They all lacked some of the key traits required to be a consistent, successful starting NFL QB, or had some kind of experience that threw off their development and they never recovered. (Edwards had the concussion in the AZ game, EJ had Kevin Kolb slipping on a rubber mat in training camp forcing him to be a starter before he was ready, and Losman had the drafting/competition with Edwards - Losman had a full semi-successful year as a starter after his broken leg, so I don't count that). I don't think any of these 3 had close to the package of skills that Allen has, which will make him one of the best in the business, but if one or all of them had come along during the McDermott/Daboll Bills of the last 3 years, do you think any of them might have become a serviceable NFL starter?

I always wondered about JP Losman. He was talented guy - mobile, cannon arm, etc. and seemed to have a strong work ethic (despite a prior reputation for being a bit brash and cocky). He had one decent season and then it all fell apart. If he had been in the right system with the right coaching and development, would he have made it? Note that by the time he got to other teams later in his career (Raiders, Dolphins), he was already "broken" and was beyond recovery. I suppose you could say the same thing for EJ Manuel, although his accuracy was almost beyond horrible. A guy like Tannehill is a good example of a guy who flashed talent but didn't really shine until he was in the right situation. Fortunately for him, he got to Tennessee and got fixed before he was beyond repair. Some guys have the physical ability (arm and/or mobility) AND the mental ability (to quickly process information/read a defense/sense pressure, etc.) and some only have one or the other. Guys that only have the physical ability, but not the mental ability, usually get 2-4 shots with various teams that think they can fix the guy before they eventually flame out. A third factor is work ethic/attitude. Some talented guys who lacked this fell far short of their potential - Jeff George, Jay Cutler and Josh Rosen. Guys who lack the physical ability, but have the mental ability and work ethic/attitude can have long careers in the league as backups (and occasional starters). Fitz is one of those guys for sure. Maybe Josh McCown is another. Todd Collins? Allen clearly has all three and in spades, PLUS the Bills have developed him properly in the right environment for success. It's great to see happening this in a Buffalo franchise! I realize that my post has wandered into a few different directions and away from the original topic, but these are the things that have come to mind (and I'm procrastinating some work that needs to get done). Thanks for indulging me.

I'm in AZ and don't take kindly to this type of punishment. Fortunately, I have Sunday Ticket (mostly for Bills purposes) and can take my pick of games.

I don't like the Bills being talked about as the #1 team. KC is the Super Bowl champion, has the best record, and beat us pretty soundly (the game wasn't as close as the score indicated). I would love a chance to beat KC in the AFC title game, and we just might earn that opportunity. And with our improved defensive play and slightly improved running game, I think we have a shot. But until we knock them off, it is silly to rate the Bills above the Chiefs. Also, I like being the "underdog" as I think the Bills feed off of it. I think the "disrespected" Bills are a more dangerous team than the highly lauded Bills.

I try to avoid team-owned media, as they have an inherent bias. As to Murphy, I've heard his play-by-play and it just isn't very good. He sounds like the voice of a Division III football program. He is not in the same league as a Van Miller or Rick Jeanneret. I wasn't a huge fan of the late Ted Darling, but he was solid and in a higher league than Murphy too. I get the sense that Murphy is probably a great guy, but just not a great listen.

Tyree made a big mistake leaving UB early. He needed work and polish and another year in school would have helped. He might have even gotten himself drafted and teams are more likely to give extended chances to guys they've invested a draft pick in, versus UDFAs. I hope the switch to TE works out for him and he finds his way. It's always good to see local kids, or kids who attended school locally, succeed.

I'd put the Saints at 2, Steelers at 3 (based on record), Packers at 4, and the Bills at 5. If the Bills beat the Steelers on Sunday, which I believe they have a very good chance to do, they would move up above the Steelers and possibly above Green Bay too, depending on how they play on Sunday. Other than the Chiefs, an argument could be made for the Bills to be anywhere from #2-#5. Between #5 and #10, there is come combination of the Browns, Dolphins, Rams, Ravens, and Titans. The AFC is definitely the stronger conference this year. It sure is fun to be part of the conversation again and not just be at the bottom of the "in the hunt" list.

I get the idea of the OP, but the odds of us catching KC and overcoming the tie breaker to get the #1 seed are very slim, particularly given that they won the head-to-head. The smarter money is to root for KC to win and maintain or increase the Bills' lead over Miami and New England.

The play in question was a trick play. It was a tackle eligible to the left side. Usually, those plays fool the defense and the tackle is wide open and it's an easy toss for the score. In this case, the SF defender read the play and actually covered the tackle. Allen wisely didn't throw it to the covered tackle and instead started scanning the field for another target. Smith was his best chance, but the pass didn't connect with the receiver. It's highly unlikely that Allen was expecting to throw to Smith, and that Smith was intending to be a target for the pass. Not every play is going to work. Fortunately for the Bills, they played a great game and MOST of their plays DID work. The failure of this one play would not be a reason to remove Lee Smith from the team. He's on the roster to help with run blocking and veteran leadership. He seems to have reduced his penalties and quietly plays his role. If the coaches feel it's time to move on from Lee, I'll be OK with it, but if they feel he has value to the team, then he should remain on the roster.

Rodgers is old and Brees is REALLY old. Despite his age, Rodgers is still playing at a very high level, but Brees' play has declined this year. When I say I would "take" Allen over all QB's other than Mahomes, I am taking their age/future into account. I'm just clarifying my point, but it appears that we are in agreement.

I am pretty big sports fan, but I have no idea who Nick Wright or this Cian guy is. Bayless is a putz and always has been. While it is nice to hear positive comments in the national media about the Bills and Allen, I really don't lose any sleep over what is said. The Bills record speaks for itself and they are well-respected across the NFL.

Other than Mahomes, I wouldn't take any QB in the league over Allen.

I picked up Beasley this week and started him.